Best Dungeon Crawl Board Games for Every Age

Dungeon crawl board games feature journeys fighting off monsters and gathering treasure. If you love role-playing games (RPGs) like Dungeon and Dragons, you'll likely enjoy these types of board games. They're easy to play and there is a game for every type of person.

Best Game for Kids

Appropriate for children 8 and older, Dungeon! features easy rules with a typical sword-and-sorcery setting. It can be played by up to eight people or by just one person if a child would like to play and explore on their own.

Forbes gives it an 8 out of 10 rating and Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG News gives it a 4.17 out of 5, saying that "it is very much a family style game, and both children and adults can enjoy a good Dungeon! delve."

Best Game for Families

While boys can enjoy Stuffed Fables just as much as young girls, this is an excellent choice for parents to play with their daughters because of the strong, positive female main character. The game features "beautiful, kid-friendly artwork and a whimsical, charming story."

Created for younger children and designed to be played with adults, it's for 2 to 4 players who each become a stuffed animal to help the young heroine fight monsters hiding beneath the bed. The Geekly Grind gives it 9.8 out of 10, calling it "an absolute must have."

Best Long Campaign Game

While some dungeon crawlers can be played a short amount of time, which is perfect for families and children, adult aficionados love long "legacy" games lasting 100 hours or more. Gloomhaven is described as a "truly epic co-operative board game." Players handle each encounter in the game by combining their skills and deciding together how to prevail.

Geeks Under Grace lauds the game for its "presentation, theme, and hundreds of reasons to play again and again." Amazon.com players are equally impressed, saying it's "the top game of 2017" and "the game destroys all over games hands down." It was the 2017 Golden Geek Board Game of the Year too.

Best Two Player Game

Play Board Games lists Claustrophia as number two on its list of top 10 dungeon crawl board games. The story focuses on a battle between humans and troglodytes who want to destroy the humans' city. Each side of the battle is controlled by a player, which could make it a good game for couples. Gamers who enjoy Claustrophia can also purchase expansion packs and download scenarios from the website.

Best Immersive Story Campaign

Descent: Journeys in the Dark is "one of the most popular dungeon delving board games in the world" with a very impressive rating on Amazon. The game is designed for teens aged 14 and up, and there are many expansions if you want to continue playing. There's even an app to play by yourself. Players gather together to fight one player who plays the villain in a fantasy world setting.

Board Game Geek gives it a 7.8 out of 10 and it was a nominee for the 2012 Golden Geek Best Thematic Board Game Award.

Best Unique RPG Dungeon

Shadows of Brimstone is not your typical dungeon crawler. While it has definite fantasy tropes featuring monsters, magic and dark dungeons, the setting is the cowboy days of the American West. One to four players choose from several character options, and while the rules are easy to understand, the game campaigns are complex and entertaining. Expansion packs further broaden the game.

RPG Geek's review gave the game an 8 out of 10, stating that a "group can play for months before [they'd] want anything else." TechRaptor gives the game 9.5 out of 10, exclaiming that "every phase of the game is fun" and it's "one of the best board games on the market."

Finding the Dungeon Crawler for You

Whether you enjoy an immersive story that can take hours and hours of play, or you're looking for a quick game with your kids, there's a dungeon crawler to meet your needs. If you're not sure you're ready to buy, a popular new trend are board game stores where you can try out games with friends (or make new ones)!

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